Joe Profaci

Giuseppe "Joe" Profaci (2 October 1897-6 June 1962) was the first boss of the Colombo crime family, leading the family from 1928 to 1962, when Joseph Magliocco took over the family.

Biography
Giuseppe Profaci was born on 2 October 1897 in Villabate, Sicily, Italy, and he was sent to prison for theft in 1920. On 4 September 1921, after being released from prison, he arrived in the US city of New York City, and he entered the olive oil import business. In 1927, he moved to Brooklyn, joining some Sicilian gangs there. In 1928, he took over Salvatore D'Aquila's gang after his murder, with Joseph Magliocco serving as his Underboss. During the 1930s, Profaci controlled crime in Brooklyn, and he was firmly aligned with Salvatore Maranzano's faction during the Castellammarese War. Profaci became very wealthy, often buying an entire row of seats so that he could invite his relatives to Broadway shows, and he donated much of his money to the Catholic Church. Although he was discovered to be importing heroin in 1959, he was never prosecuted for this crime. Joe Gallo and Carmine Persico rebelled against Profaci during the late 1950s, and Gallo avoided an assassination attempt in 1961 after a policeman intervened. In 1962, Profaci died of liver cancer at the age of 64.